Martha is a dominant and forceful woman, who thinks she deserves the best. She calls herself the "earth mother", and thinks everyone else are "flops."
She is not satisfied with her life with George, and she constantly demeans him for not living up to her great expectations. She lives with the illusion of the created child, often not able to determine the difference between what is real and what is made up. She is motherly when discussing the fake child with Honey and Nick, showing how much she relies on the fake child, which explains her extreme reaction when George shatters it. She goes from hostile and aggressive to showing vulnerability when she says that she is afraid of Virginia Woolf at the end. George is first seen as submissive and quiet in contrast with Martha's loud nature, but it soon shows he is just as cruel and manipulative as she is. George also participates in the illusion of the child, but he sees the importance of keeping it a secret. When he sees how close the fake child is to destroying him and Martha's relationship, he realizes the necessity of getting rid of it. He does not do this last act out of cruelty, but from true love and concern for Martha, showing that they do have a real affection for each other underneath the barbs and teasing.
Martha is a dominant and forceful woman, who thinks she deserves the best. She calls herself the "earth mother", and thinks everyone else are "flops."
She is not satisfied with her life with George, and she constantly demeans him for not living up to her great expectations. She lives with the illusion of the created child, often not able to determine the difference between what is real and what is made up. She is motherly when discussing the fake child with Honey and Nick, showing how much she relies on the fake child, which explains her extreme reaction when George shatters it. She goes from hostile and aggressive to showing vulnerability when she says that she is afraid of Virginia Woolf at the end. George is first seen as submissive and quiet in contrast with Martha's loud nature, but it soon shows he is just as cruel and manipulative as she is. George also participates in the illusion of the child, but he sees the importance of keeping it a secret. When he sees how close the fake child is to destroying him and Martha's relationship, he realizes the necessity of getting rid of it. He does not do this last act out of cruelty, but from true love and concern for Martha, showing that they do have a real affection for each other underneath the barbs and teasing.